Jay Bilas Interview

As we all know at this point there's just one major conference to make a coaching change this off-season college basketball. I was wake more inspiring Danny Manning over the weekend and Jay billows is here to share his thoughts on the subject, Jay. The time is always appreciated. Aside from being one of the primary voices on college basketball for ESPN you knew Danny when he was a player.

Your son was a captain for one of Danny's deacon teams. So when you saw the headline and the timing of it Saturday. What was your reaction to reproach.

A great man of job, but I understand all the work we all do so. No, everybody serves at the pleasure of their employer and but change how I feel about Danny Manning and how he conducts himself the influence not only on the game but on his players. My fun to have him as a coach and a teacher to mentor for years was was just phenomenal for specific story that Anthony has shared with you that speaks to what you're talking about Danny Manning, the mentor story when you're around someone every day that all great qualities of a leader and put other people first, which Danny's always gone. I think that Dr. speaks volumes about the economy and any of we spent some time earlier this week with Western room with crystal talking about the specific subject. The subject of criteria because I feel like a place that's as different as Wake Forest is geographically with the teams that are next on the conference, the academics, the size of the school. I think fit is everything in this type of circumstance. What do you think John Curry's bacteria should be in this time everything everywhere so I don't think there are number of coaches do a good job. Spent a number of years. I think you got the schools out there for coaches to take over different situations like 10, 12 years and really there there been a number of decisions since the Prosser passed away that have have led to wait for speed but it really doesn't matter what happened in the past. What matters is where the starting blocks are. You have to make the best possible decision. Now it's a difficult time to do this because of what were dealing with with covert, 19, if not impossible, and so there so there are number of really good candidates out there without great interest of the job is just up at the John Curry and whatever decision-makers relying on to make the best possible I think about when you talk about challenges there obviously. Financially there are challenges in college sports. Think about just limitations that state and federal governments have on you trying to get in touch with people trying to travel obviously and also coaches trying to look at what type of AAU season there's going to be what can they do in recruiting. What do you think to be the biggest challenge Curry faces in the spot everybody challenged so were all dealing with pandemic at the same time. It's not like anybody got a heads up about it. Was able to do anything different. Wake Forest is in the same boat as everybody else so I don't consider this to be you know any sort of a like list list the challenges you wake understood what the challenges were when they make make so I would imagine all all their ducks are in a row are ready so that shouldn't be that difficult. It's T-bills with this year from ESPN when you saw the NBA's new developmental path announcement from a few weeks ago.

Who did you think of first in terms of who was most effective was a college basketball or maybe guys like RJ Hampton, who might've considered going overseas versus staying in the state. Well I didn't think about anybody in particular the global so it was made by the MBA that within the NBA's best interest and it is certainly not going to be a good decision for the business interests of polygraph people called about 12 going to be affected negatively. Now there are those that would say well college about both survive not having Kobe Bryant Lebron James and the like will survival. I don't think any reasonable person suggest. But college raffles going to be diminished by not having the best players and I don't think any reasonable baffle person would try to posit that college draft of all would have been better off without having to ran didn't know Eric Rosenstein Williamson all these great players that were were in college a short period of time are relatively short period time. Of course it made college restaurant better. It certainly will continue to do just fine. And when it's knocking to be diminished to the point where nobody care about all I it's a problem for the AA and that additional competition and it's going to mean that resources are going to be expended by top institutions that recruit players that will never show all and so you're not able to make those determinations in time so you have to recruit to be back the way it was back when the one identical to that tenure. Which frankly recruiting was about to go back about where where recruiting is to be a mess again mean we can't handle it.

We can handle it but but it'll be it'll be messy and there's no reason for it from the college, that what college needs to allow the players we need to be more welcoming players and not put up as many barriers but we need to allow them to make money and without restriction and have agents and to participate in the marketplace are not allowed to do that. They're all and I can't imagine that institutions of higher learning need to take the stance what you don't want to come for four years in a row and be Shane battier, Bill Bradley, we don't want you at all that that's the stance that I don't think educators should be taken and I'm wondering what the NBA's motivation is to get involved in this day because when I think about yeah it's college basketball that I am Williamson's in it and but I'd also argue it benefits the MBA that is on the radar, and he gets the exposure based on the TV deals that yes the and other companies have with college basketball and.designs able to step in and become a star despite having not played the first have an MBA season. I don't know if that happens, if you're playing in the dealings what you think is the NBA's motivation to put together past for prospects that might deviate them from going to college before he ever got the college he had 250, 300,000 followers before he ever got college, high school, so these players just because you were someone else may not know that doesn't mean there's no and you could let you go to make the same argument about Lebron James that Lebron James did go to college and have the marketing machine of the AA prop about the need for new design. Now the reason the NBA's doing this is because it gives them greater control over the development of the top players that there being put in an MBA environment coached by NBA coaches and and allowed to develop on that track where basketball is their only concern. It's not the other not surveying sort of the AA's purpose of being touted as a student athlete and being limited to even out so phony restriction, but limited to 20 hours a week of the job that they're there to do first and that's all for PR purposes and Mike my judgment, but that's what they're doing it. It's a good business MBA them to be able to take design Williamson for $5000 and then help shape him and they get then they have them there to scout so everybody gets a look at them whenever they want to include practices which is certainly the case with with college players so it's a good decision for the MBA. This is not a good decision helpful to college. Jean Millis of ESPN with the sun sports on triad. It was either a week or two ago we had Johnny Dawkins here he was describing the intensity of these fall practices are making scrimmages that you guys had pickup games between Carolina players both at Carmichael and also at Cameron back when you guys were playing in the 80s. He was specifically I think talking about the one where you guys first showed up on campus. Jordan just shot an 82 and it was right before that season started, how would you describe these pickup games in the fall with Michael Jordan. They were great they were. But your pickup always was always a test we felt back then but it was just seven Carolina think where we were friendly, but not friends where you might've known a couple guys but but there was always that arm's-length distance between the two teams.

And so it was, it was really no serve a great competitive environment that we covered Carmichael play football in general but too late, come over to Cameron IRR card play. So I was really really good good experience know who set it up I think is probably Johnny Dawkins and David Henderson that would set it up between each time that they came over week. We went over there but it was really a great experience for all who was calling.

Sounds normal pickup where where everybody calls you probably call it wasn't like we had to have some sort of edict on how to play pickup is pretty simple. Describe one time Jordan is to got beaten in the course and pickup you have to sit out and wait a little bit before you could get back on the floor and he described it as MJ walking to the farthest corner of Cameron and not talking to anybody completely despondent and then when he came back in.

It was almost like the game when he dropped 32 later on, you guys when you played in the regular season it he just hat it just clicked it just clicked and it turned on. What's the best door you have on the floor with them in college I would say probably the time that he set up a backboard with them really intense game or what he was last year there yet that on the backboard game in 1983 and 84 we had double-overtime game that Carmichael where he was.

He was amazing really want up one of the game.

I thought for Carolina and his last game, Carmichael United time you're on the floor with them.

You did something extraordinary just is just that type of player, and where you really couldn't compare anybody else that he was unique in that only his skills but how hard he played all the time and you just use relentless when you didn't really know what relentless look like you heard the term but never seen it before. That was the first time I cheated when I see you on TV. I see you have one, I think, actually, someone did like the office ranks like the background that you have the books on the shelf. You even have a Wilson volleyball. There which I really respect basketball basket yet about my wife. It I live in a house full of artists. My wife, a professional artist. My daughter is so I wipe side of the pocket of the stuck up and in that office doing no SportsCenter through all of March and April that I companies. Hopefully you don't go stir crazy for a little stir crazy J thank you so much for spending the time and the triads appreciated.

Always a pleasure. Thank you that Steve Millis of ESPN follow them on Twitter at Jean Millis coming up three rumors regarding cam Newton in the wake basketball search that I just want to put away right now. This is the dry